Provisional data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released today shows that net migration was at around 431,000 for the year ending December 2024, marking a drastic decrease on 2023, when the number was 860,000. The number of international enrolments has also dropped by 17,000 – but student dependants fell by a whopping 86% – plummeting from 121,000 to a mere 17,000, the ONS said.
The ONS pointed to a sharp drop in the number of international students in the UK bringing their dependants with them as one of the key reasons for the reduced net migration. It follows new rules introduced last year that ban postgraduate taught students from adding dependants to their visa.
International education stakeholders warned that the measures announced in last week’s immigration white paper could result in an “overcorrection” on net migration, hitting the UK’s economy and further pressurising the already stretched higher education sector.
While 2024’s net migration levels are the lowest they have been since 2021, they are still far higher than they were before the pandemic – with net migration set at 186,000 in December 2019.
Chief executive of Independent Higher Education, Alex Proudfoot, said that the “bulge” in net migration has started to “work its way through the numbers” after an extraordinary few years following the Covid pandemic.
But he warned that the policies laid out in Keir Starmer’s immigration white paper last week could negatively impact the market.
“There is a real risk now that the government overcorrects in adopting the stricter policies announced last week in relation to international students, who are absolutely vital to the success of our higher education sector, our continued ability to invest in the skills of our domestic workforce, and the UK’s capacity to project cultural influence and leadership in the world,” he said.
Proudfoot called on the government to redraw its strategy for international education, which he said should “effectively promote” all that UK higher education institutions have to offer.
There is a real risk now that the government overcorrects in adopting the stricter policies announced last week in relation to international students
Alex Proudfoot, Independent Higher Education
Meanwhile, Joe Marshall, CEO at the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB), pointed out that many international students leave the UK after they have graduated – but deliver “substantial short- and medium-term benefits to institutions, regions, and the wider economy” while they are in the country.
NCUB cautioned that the policies set out in the immigration white paper – including a controversial levy on international student fees and stricter English language requirements – could “further strain university finances” as international enrolments continue to fall.
“The current trajectory threatens to undermine one of our most powerful assets: our standing as a global leader in knowledge and innovation. A retreat in international enrolment will not only have significant financial repercussions but could also diminish the UK’s influence and capacity for world-changing research and discoveries,” he added.
Immigration has formed a major part of political discourse in the UK over the past few decades, and shows no sign of letting up as the anti-immigration Reform party made major advancements in last month’s local elections.
One point of contention is the perceived rise in asylum claims, with UK media reports ahead of the immigration white paper’s publication predicting that the government would start to crack down on issuing visas for people from countries with high asylum claims – naming Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nigeria.
The white paper also paid particular attention to asylum claims, pointing out that half of all asylum claims for people already in the UK on a legitimate visa route were people issued a study visa. However, a closer look at the data cited by the Home Office shows that students only account for 15% of all asylum claims.
According to new Home Office data, also published today, some 109,343 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year to March 2025, representing a 17% increase on the previous year
